Daniel's Delivery

**Rhia** · August 9th, 2009, 07:31 PM

(I hope I dont offend anyone with anything I write in this birth story)

Well I'll start off with some background details. After being told continuously that this baby would come early, I started to believe it myself. 37 weeks came and went. Nothing. 38 weeks. Nothing. 39 weeks and still no baby! I started to get frustrated as Pupps had started at about 37 weeks and I wasnt really getting any relief plus I was just over being pregnant.
As 40 weeks came I began to feel very nervous and excited. It was a relief to know the end was near, but the end scared the hell outta me! I was convinced I was going to be induced.
On Wednesday 5th I had a Midwife appointment and everything was going well. Bubs was 3/5th engaged so I was happy about that, and I had also been having very slight period pain in the morning but thought nothing of it.
I didnt have many braxton hicks that day, but that same night the period pains returned and were about 20 minutes apart. I went to bed at around 12 thinking it was just a false labour-boy was I wrong!
I woke up at about 3:40 with the same pains, but they were very irregular, some were 4 minutes apart up to 10 minutes apart. I tried to go back to sleep but it wasnt going to happen and at about 5 am I woke up DP and my Mum to tell them I was having regular contractions.
I wanted to labour at home as much as I could and only rang the hospital at 7 just to tell them I wanted to come in soon. They had to prepare the beds and told me to come in in an hour or 2 so I decided to have a shower with DP and it took some of the edge off the pains I was having in my back.
We eventually got to the hospital at about 10 and had to wait in the waiting room for a good 10 minutes before I was allowed in. Not something I was really impressed with but I just kept breathing through the contractions like Id been doing the whole time- I was surprised that breathing does actually work!!
Finally into the room and the monitor was straight on. Bubs was doing great, heart beat hardly changed through my contractions which were still coming every 3-4 minutes. Through out my whole labour I felt the cx in my front and back and towards the end they were excruciating, I would have liked to have had an epidural had I not been told I was 7 cms dilated! I almost fell off the bed when the midwife told me this and I went into a massive freakout. The thought that I now had to do this virtually drug free scared the crap out of me and it hit me hard knowing the pushing stage wasnt that far away. It was only about 11:30-12 when she told me this, my Mum was stunned I had done so well with only gas and in a short amount of time, as was I.
I jumped into the shower to try and relief some of the back pain I was having. Contractions were about 2-3mins apart now but were getting stronger. Apparently I was in there for about an hour but time just seemed to slip away so quickly! When I got out of the shower I headed back for the bed only for my waters to break on the floor and once again I began to freak out and I felt a need to start pushing. It wasnt an overwhelming urge but I went with it anyway.
After over an hour of pushing and struggling bubs head finally came out!! I was absolutely exhausted I hardly had the energy to push out the shoulders and I still have no idea where the next push came from but at 2:24pm Daniel James was born and placed on my chest. My Mum and DP had a cry while I laid on my back with my eyes tightly shut. I had no intention of opening them and I did not want the baby on me. I screamed and protested for him to be off- something I am not exactly proud of but I think it was just because I was extremely exhausted. However, I do not regret it as they passed him straight to DP for skin to skin contact which is something he will never forget.
I did eventually get to hold my son and I felt so in love. I couldnt believe this little miracle had been inside me. He is just perfect and has fitted into my life like he was always here.
I did end up with 3rd degree tears needed a bunch of stitches that took the doctor over an hour to do. He was so rough!! I also lost a lot of blood and ended up being in hospital for 4 days finally being told I had anemia. I am finally home and on iron tablets still finding it hard to walk around though.
I am very proud of myself for going through labour with only the gas. Everything happened on its own and I am so appreciative of my body. I love my new little family and my life has never seemed so perfect!
If you made it all this way reading this story, thank you. It just felt like something I wanted to share with people, as like any woman I really feel like Ive accomplished something huge.

Daniels measurements
head-36cms
length-52cms
weight-8pd 6 and a half ounces (3.82kgs)

Born 2.24pm 6/8/09
laboured for just under 12 hours

Thank you